Number 25
by Schiff Thomas
Summary: While the Yagami family is under surveillance late one night Mr. Yagami has a talk with Ryuzaki and finds out the truth of his past and who he really is.
1. Night Surveillance

**Number 25**

_By: DamienHellion_

Mr. Yagami yawned as he walked back into the dark room a can of Cola in his hand. He walked behind the couch behind Ryuzaki. He glanced at the screen showing his son sleeping soundly in his bed then at the one of Sayu sleeping in hers. He sighed.

"Ryuzaki how long is this going to go on?" He asked taking a sip of his Cola. When he didn't get an answer he looked down to see that Ryuzaki had fallen asleep sitting in his usual manner. His head was tilted down and his hands rested at his sides on the couch. Mr. Yagami smiled for a second before he noticed something. Because Ryuzaki had his head down Mr. Yagami noticed something he hadn't noticed before. He brushed the back of his hair to the side. Under his hair was a small bar code tattooed onto the back of Ryuzaki's neck.

Mr. Yagami jumped slightly and moved his hand away when he heard Ryuzaki stir. He moved around to the other side of the couch so that he could sit down next to Ryuzaki and stared at the screen. A few moments later Ryuzaki opened his eyes and looked up at the screens again.

"Has there been any change?" He asked Mr. Yagami.

"None at all. They're all still sleeping." He said. There was a few moments of silence before Mr. Yagami spoke up.

"Ryuzaki may I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?" Ryuzaki didn't even look away from the screen.

"How old where you when you got that tattoo?" Ryuzaki then looked away from the T.V. and stared at Mr. Yagami. "The one on the back of your neck. Why did you get it?" Ryuzaki looked back at the T.V. and didn't answer. It was almost nearly half an hour later when Mr. Yagami stood up to go to bed to get some sleep. Mr. Yagami was almost at the door when Ryuzaki spoke.

"I was seven." Mr Yagami turned to look at Ryuzaki.

"What was that?" Mr. Yagami asked. Ryuzaki looked away from the screen and at Mr. Yagami.

"When I got the tattoo. I was seven." Mr. Yagami stared at him for a few moments before what Ryuzaki had said finally clicked.

"That's a little young isn't it?"

"I'm not the one that did it." Ryuzaki turned back to the T.V. screen.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Yagami asked. "Who did it?" Ryuzaki sighed. He did trust Mr. Yagami but if he told him would the man treat him differently. The only one that knew of his past was Watari and he was surprised Watari was even able to look at him. Mr. Yagami sat down next to Ryuzaki again.

"You must understand that anything I tell you must not be repeated to anyone. And the only reason why I'm going to tell you is because you're one of the very few people I actually trust."

"I understand."

Ryuzaki sighed and began his tale.

TBC….

(so what do you think so far. Please R&R… the little blue button is tempting isn't it?)


	2. Merces Letifer

A/N… thanks for all of your reviews I really appreciate it. Makes me know that my writing isn't in vain. Anyway on with the story and I hope you like….

**Previously on Number 25…**

…_small bar code tattooed onto the back of his neck…_

"_Ryuzaki may I ask you a question?"_

"_I was seven."_

"_You must understand that anything I tell you must not be repeated to anyone. And the only reason why I'm going to tell you is because you're one of the very few people I actually trust."_

111000111000111

London 1986, ICA-HQ (International Contract Agency Head Quarters)

Dr. Ort-Meyer walked briskly through the halls of the large building. The entire inside of the building was either white or made of a shiney metal that made the man's light green clothes contrast against it. He flipped through the file as he entered a small room. The room conatined a white table with two white chairs and a large two way mirror. On one of the chairs sat a young boy that looked to be around the age of five or six, he wore a white shirt and tan pants. His hair was short and mussed. Dr. Ort-Meyer looked down at the file and saw that the boy was actually seven in age. He sat down across from him and smiled nicely at the boy.

"Do you know why are here?" Dr. Ort-Meyer asked. The boy glared at the table not looking up at him for many moments and did not answer. Dr. Ort-Meyer repeated the question. "Do you know why you are here?" The boy shifted his eyes up to him and stared at him.

"Because I'm a useless bastard that no one wanted." The boy spat. The man smiled.

"Yes well. As much as that case may be. We have a place for you here." Dr. Ort-Meyer said. "But first." Dr. Ort-Meyer pulled a sheet of paper out of the folder and handed it to the boy along with a pen. "Sign this."

"What is it?" The boy had a thick English accent that was slightly tinted with something else though what Dr. Ort-Meyer couldn't tell. The boy didn't pick up the paper, he just looked at it. Dr. Ort-Meyer smiled again.

"This my boy. Is what is going to keep you here." He said simply. "You will be tought and trained. You will finally have a place you belong. You can read over it if you wish." The boy continued to stare at it.

"I can't read." He said after may moments. Dr. Ort-Meyer pushed the pen closer to the boy.

"Stay here, and you will learn how. You will become something great. You will no longer know hunger, no longer know fear." The boy listened to what the man was saying to him and took in every word. No more fear… no more hunger…. No more suffering. What the man was offering him was unbelievable. The boy picked up the pen and signed. The man smiled at the boy as he took that paper back and put it back into the folder.

"My name is Dr. Ort-Meyer by they way." He said simply. "And you… from now on my boy. Are 25." He took the paper and pen and left the room as two guards came in and took hold of 25. The boy struggled against them.

"What are you doing?" He asked trying to get away. The man laughed.

"You're one of us now!" He said dragging him into another room.

(Ohhhh... what's going on? What's going to happen? Find out in the next chapter of Number 25! Oh and if you don't R&R L's gonna kick your ass! lol Mwahahahaha!)


	3. The ICAHQ

**Previously on Number 25….**

_"Do you know why are here?"_

_"I'm a useless bastard that no one wanted."_

_"Stay here, and you will learn how. You will become something great…"_

_"You're one of us now!"_

111000111000111

_London 1986, ICA-HQ (International Contract Agency Head Quarters)_

25 sat on a white chair in another room, his face contorted in pain as the buzzing of the machine rang in his ears the scratching on the back of his neck becoming almost unbearable. A few moments later the scratching stopped and he moved to touch the back of his neck but a large hand stopped him.

"Don't touch it for at least four hours." The man commanded. 25 moved to the large two way mirror to see if he could see what had been tattooed on his neck. It was a bar code with the numbers 103179-110725 underneath.

"That code will give you access to Dr. Ort-Meyer's office if and when he calls on you. But not until. It is programed so that you will only be allowed in if he needs you and you will be accomplanied by two guards."

"This isn't what I was promised." 25 said quietly. "This isn't what I signed for." The man laughed.

"This is exactly what you signed for. You along with hundreds of other orphans like yourself. You're all expendable. When you are not training you will be thinking about training, and when your not thinking about training you will be resting so that you can train when you awake." He said. "That is how it works here."

"This isn't what I want." He said.

"Yeah well life's the shits ain't it kid?" The man asked grabbing onto him and dragging him into yet another room.

111000111000111

"What is the ICA-HQ?" Mr. Yagami asked. Ryuzaki sighed.

"The International Contract Agency Head Quarters' slogan is _Merces Letifer_ (Latin for "Lethal Trade"). It is a worldwide, well-funded clandestine organization, with underlying connections to the foreign legion, providing assassination and mercenary services; Credited assassinations have taken place in the Americas, the Pacific Rim, and Eurasia. The Agency enjoys the cooperation of affiliates such as the FBI, CIA, MI5, and even elements within the U.N. Although politically neutral and ethically amoral, the Agency avoids accepting hits with enemies of its allies in government bureaus.

"The Agency uses "controllers" as go-betweens with its agents. They provide freelance operatives with electronic correspondence and mission briefings. Contractors also sell intelligence briefings on the subjects of missions to their agents for the fee of USD 1,500 per file.

"In short. They train orphans from a young age to be assassins." Mr. Yagami was shocked.

"That can't be legal." He said.

"As much as I wish that it was it is very legal. In their jurisdiction anyway. It's a very well hidden organization there's nothing any government would do about it."

"There must be someone…"

"There isn't. Not unless one of the agent come forward. And they'd never do that. Their all wanted assassins."

"So who was 25?" Mr. Yagami asked. "Did you know him?" Ryuzaki nodded.

"I knew him very well. Unfortunately for him when he left the ICA-HQ he wasn't the same person.

( A/N... If you look at the bar code again….

103179-110725

10/31/79 October 31,1979 is the year L was born – 11/07/25 November 07, and the age L died did you make the connection? ;) lol

Please R&R)


	4. Drilled Knowledge

(AN, I got a review saying that the last chapter was a bit confusing. I apologize for this but hopefully it starts making more sense soon. :D)

**Previously on Number 25….**

"_103179-110725"_

"_That code will give you access to Dr. Ort-Meyer's office"_

"_This isn't what I was promised." _

"_When you are not training you will be thinking about training, and when your not thinking about training you will be resting so that you can train when you awake."_

"_Who was 25?"_

111000111000111

_London 1990, ICA-HQ (International Contract Agency Head Quarters)_

_(3 years later)_

25 sat at a table his arms resting on his knees. The man in front of him had about twenty guns layed out on the table. The man held up one and showed it to 25.

".44 Magnum. It delivers a large, heavy bullet with high velocity for a handgun. In its full-powered form, it produces too much recoil and muzzle blast to be suitable for a police weapon, and is likely not very suitable for shooters of smaller build or with small hands." 25 answered without even needing to think.

"Good. And this one?" He held up another.

"A semi-automatic pistol. Functions by using the energy from the recoil of a single round of ammunition to extract and eject a fired cartridge from the pistol's chamber and load an unfired round from a magazine into the chamber for the next shot."

"Very good. And this one?" He held up another.

"I'm assuming what you want me to answer is Taurus PT 145 Millennium Pro. A subcompact, double action only Semi-automatic handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, made by Taurus, Brazil. Weighing only 22.6 ounces empty, it is lighter and smaller than many Compact 9 mm Luger pistols. The PT 145 holds 10 rounds in the magazine and is available with either black or stainless slide finish, and with or without night sights. It is also equipped with a short dust cover accessory rail. The pistol also comes with two magazines from the factory." 25 paused and smiled at the man.

"Only problem with this answer is the gun you are holding is a cheap knock of made by the chinese that is very ineffective even if loaded, though it can do damage it won't kill someone. Not unless you had it right to their eyeball. It's probably just as effective empty like it is now than if it had really been loaded." The man smiled. 25 was very impressive. He had asked this to many of the others and so far he had been the only one to notice the difference.

"You're very smart for your age." He said putting the gun back down. "Come with me. We will start your hands on training today." He lead 25 out of the room and down the hall. He was brought into a large room on the one side had a table full of guns on the other end was a few targets. "Pick a gun, I'm assuming by your previous training you know how to hold one. I want you to aim it. And fire. Please take the recoil into consideration though I don't need another of my trainee's with a broken nose." 25 smirked at this. He had met many of the other trainees. None of them had names. Just numbers. 25 had often heard from a man named 47 say 'Names are for friends, so I don't need one!' 47 was gone now though it didn't bother 25. Just like 47 he didn't have any friends. Nor did he need any.

25 picked up his choice of weapon. The Colt King Cobra Revolver. The gun was good for hunting or target shooting. Which was why he had chosen it for his first try. He aimed and shot but the bullet missed by a few inches. He shook his head and tried again. This time taking into consideration the full force of the recoil.

"For the next four months you will be training in your aim with these guns here. Then I will give you a new set which you will train for another four months and so on and so fourth until you've mastered them all."

"And if I don't master one in the four months?" 25 asked.

"Test me boy." The man said smiling. "Test me!"

(That's it for this chapter Please R&R I likey dem!)


	5. You!

**Previously on Number 25… Previously on Number 25…**

"_I'm assuming what you want me to answer is Taurus PT 145 Millennium Pro._

"_Only problem with this answer is the gun you are holding is a cheap knock of made by the Chinese_

"_For the next four months you will be training in your aim with these guns here._

"_And if I don't master one in the four months?"_

111000111000111

_Brazil, 1998_

It had been eight long years since he had held his first gun, pulled his first trigger.

'_His name is Jehan Claude. He is currently running for president.' _25 held his finger to his ear piece as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"I though I said I won't do political assassinations." 25 said.

'_Well you do now.'_ 25 looked through the zoom on his gun staring at the elderly man. He shook his head. He took his hand away from his ear as the line went dead. He kneeled on a black mat on the roof of a nearby building, his gun resting on the side ledge in front of him. He had a black case next to him that had a think wire running out of it and too the gun. He watched the man through the zoom and pulled the trigger. People screamed and ran for cover as he stood up and walked away leaving his gun there.

It wasn't long after he left when the black box blew up destroying everything in the small vicinity he had been previously occupying, taking all evidence with it.

By the time the police got there, he was gone.

111000111000111

"I've done a lot of bad things in my life." He said. "That's the first one I told you about. But not the first one that's happened." L sighed and leaned back on the couch, placing his feet on the floor. He stood up and walked to one of the shelves that had been placed by the wall. He pulled out a thick dark red book with a white symbol on it. It was the symbol of the ICA-HQ. He handed it to Mr. Yagami.

Mr. Yagami looked at the book confused before he opened it. Inside where, on each page, the names of people, their ages, the dates they where born and the dates they died. Next to each name was a small cross. Mr. Yagami flipped through the pages glancing over the names and ages of the people, their ages running anywhere from 13-89.

"There are four other books like that one. That is the last of them." L said sitting down next to Mr. Yagami again. Mr. Yagami got to the last page of writing about 50 pages short of the end of the book. There was a name there, but unlike the rest of the names, there was no cross beside the name and no death date.

"This one?" Mr. Yagami said pointing to the name. "Has no cross or death date." L looked at the last name in the book.

"He was not assassinated." He said.

"You mean…. All these people. They where assassinated?" Mr. Yagami asked shocked.

"Yes." He said. The next words that came out of L's mouth could have not shocked Mr. Yagami any more than had he told him he was a black albino living as an Eskimo in the middle of Germany. "By me."

"You…" Mr. Yagami paused. "All these people."

"I was trained to do it. I had no choice."

"There's so many." He said. "More than even Kira has killed."

"Please do not compare me to Kira." L said. "There are many differences."

"Like what? How does your murdering differ from his?"

"He has a choice." He said. "And has made a choice to stay with it." L paused and closed his eyes. "I had no choice. And made a choice to leave it." He said not looking at Mr. Yagami. "What I did was wrong I know that better than anyone. And it haunts me every moment I live while they do not. Every time I close my eyes I see their faces. Hear their screams. Or at least the ones that had a chance to scream." He said. "What I did was out of survival. And I'm sure if I had to go back in time and do it again I would have." He said. "Do you know what it's like to be faced with death Mr. Yagami?" He asked. "To stare death in the eye. Do you know how terrifying it is?" He asked.

Mr. Yagami looked away from L.

"I have never been placed in such a situation."

"I have." He said. "As soon as I signed that paper, every moment I lived I knew it could be my last. Every day I woke up and thought to myself is today the day I die? I have lived in fear my whole life Mr. Yagami. That I would die because I wouldn't do as I was told. As I was trained to do. I hated every moment of it. But when you're faced with the fear of death you will do anything to stay alive." He said. "Do you know how hard it is to kill someone?"

Mr. Yagami looked aghast. "Of course I don't!"

"It wasn't an implication that you have tried." He said. "It was merely a question. When a human is threatened they go into almost a state of shock and will do anything to stay alive. That's why most murder attempts fail. The person will defend themselves. Whether what they are protecting themselves from is an immediate threat or not, it still has that instinct." He said. "I'm not trying to justify to you why I did it. I'm just trying to make you understand what it was like."

Mr. Yagami nodded. "But still…. All those people. Are you 25?" Mr. Yagami asked.

L nodded. "I was." He said. "But that was a long time ago."

"How did you get out?" L smirked.

"Aw now there's a story!"

((Sorry it took so long to update I've been on a Clopin or Matrix Twins high lately….. Please R&R))


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